


I Am Human, And That's All I've Ever Wanted To Be

by glassphoenix



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Coming Out, Gen, Genderfluid Character, supportive parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22047796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glassphoenix/pseuds/glassphoenix
Summary: Coming out to your family can be terrifying, even if you're confident that your loved ones will take it in stride.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	I Am Human, And That's All I've Ever Wanted To Be

**Author's Note:**

> catch me having like four unfinished fics and coming back to ao3 months later with a tiny oneshot for a totally different fandom
> 
> i can't come up with original titles to save my life and no one can tell me the protagonist of swsh isn't genderfluid
> 
> that said even though i'm a trans person i'm not genderfluid and i'm sorry if i misrepresented what being genderfluid is like ;v; i hope this is still enjoyable

Victor has known his mum for long enough that they both know when the other is worried about something. Nervous tics and microexpressions that strangers would miss become glaringly obvious when you live with someone for close to fifteen years. He’s lucky enough to have a mum who doesn’t pry into his personal life too much. He doesn’t know much about Mum’s childhood, but she values privacy. She trusts Victor to tell her if he’s upset or in trouble with no need for interrogation.

Even knowing this, Victor’s chest feels tight when he approaches his Mum after school. It’s a long weekend. Next Monday is a public holiday. It might be a bad time to have this discussion, but the weight on Victor’s shoulders is getting to be too much.

Mum is where she usually is when Victor comes home, on the couch watching a dramatic comedy that Victor can never remember the name of. She looks behind her at the sound of the door opening and shutting, and gives Victor a smile. He attempts to return the expression, but he can tell it’s unconvincing. “Hi, Mum.”

“Hello, dear.” Victor’s not sure if it’s the look on his face or the crack in his voice, but Mum’s smile falls into a look of concern. “Is everything alright? You look pale.”

There it is. Victor’s peers think he’s hard to read, but there’s no hiding his feelings from his own mother. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and sighs. “Ah… No use in denying it. There’s something I want to tell you.”

Mum pats the seat on the couch next to her, and Victor sits down cautiously.

It’s the strangest feeling, trying to look someone in the eye, but being physically unable to lift your gaze from the floor. He feels like he’s been frozen; his whole body is cold and tense. He’s been thinking about what he’s going to say for so long, but now that the moment has come, he can’t speak. He feels Mum rest a gentle hand on his back.

Victor knows his mum. He knows she wouldn’t freak out. At least, she wouldn’t kick him to the curb and never speak to him again.

So why is he so, so afraid?

“I…” Victor takes a deep breath. And another. “I’ve done some research, and I think I’m, uh…”

It’s not that hard to say. For the love of Arceus, it _shouldn’t_ be this hard to say. Victor's eyes squeeze shut as he forces the words out of his mouth. “I-I’m genderfluid.”

Mum doesn’t say anything. Her hand doesn’t move from Victor’s back. He takes it as an opportunity to explain himself before anything bad can happen. “Uh, basically it just means I…sometimes I feel like a girl, or-- or something else. I still feel like a guy most of the time, but…sometimes I just don’t? I know it’s weird and confusing and I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do, I--”

As soon as he falters, his breath is stolen again. Mum still hasn’t said anything. Victor is scared to look up. Is she confused? Angry? Upset? The longer his train of thought runs on for, the more his head pounds as he tries not to tear up.

When Mum pulls him into a hug, he doesn’t completely break down sobbing, but he feels his eyes spill over. Somehow it makes his head hurt more.

“Well, first of all, I want you to know I’m happy you decided to tell me,” Mum finally says. She rubs her hand up and down Victor’s back. “I’ll do my best to help you in whatever way I can.”

Victor wipes his eyes with the heel of his palm. “Are you mad?”

“Of course I’m not mad! You’ll always be my baby. As long as you’re not hurting innocent people, I’ll support anything you want to do.”

Mum pulls away from the hug to look at Victor, resting her hands on his shoulders. “How long have you known?”

“A couple months… Maybe more, if you count the time before I knew what ‘genderfluid’ even meant,” Victor chuckles nervously.

Mum hugs him again, and this time he cries a little bit more. “I didn’t think you’d overreact, but for a moment I was just…so scared you would be upset…”

“I know. It’s okay, honey.”

Mum lets go of him with a smile. “Is there anything I can do for you right now? Does anyone else know? Should I start calling you my child, or daughter, or anything?”

“Um…I told Hop a few weeks ago. I think he was confused, but he took it better than I was expecting. And I still don’t know if I’m going to change my name or any of that…”

“Well, if you decide you want to give it a try, I’ll do my best to call you whatever you want. Even if I make mistakes at first, I want to help you be comfortable. I love you no matter what, alright?”

It feels like the weight of the world has fallen off Victor’s shoulders.


End file.
